Think about decorating likes and dislikes. If a homeowner likes goldfish, by all means, they should allow a goldfish bowl to have a prominent place in a room where much time is spent. In fact, according to Marco Pasanella in his book How to Live in Style Without Losing Your Mind (Simon & Schuster, 2000), a home can never have too many goldfish. How can one go wrong with a $2 pet?
- Each room should have special objects that the homeowner likes and values: a favorite chair; a scratched-up French countryside-inspired desk; a lamp from the 1950s that belonged to the homeowner’s grandmother.
- Hobbies are also important to display, if valued by the homeowner. For example, Pasanella said if a homeowner likes to play Scrabble or chess, then a place should be made to set up the board.
One Fabulous Piece
Each room should have one fabulous piece, Pasanella said.
- In the bathroom, that could mean a favorite rubber duckie.
- In the living room, that could be a sofa or an extraordinary coffee table that lures everyone to gather round.
- Pasanella warned about getting all furniture from the same place as matching pieces. A sofa is a big expense and an important piece of furniture, he said, so go ahead and go to Pottery Barn or Crate and Barrel. But be careful that the rest of the house does not match indiscriminately, creating a generic look that reflects a store rather than the owner.
Matching
- Things do not have to match.
- Dining chairs can have complimentary colours, but the styles can be different and the look still be personal and welcoming.
- Dishes, likewise, can be in complimentary colours, but they do not all have to match.
- Furniture styles do not have to match, nor do wood finishes have to be the same colour.
Scent
Do not fill a home with artificial smells. Life itself has enough scents.
- Cooking with herbs and garlic and spices makes the entire house smell wonderful. Let that smell linger and become part of the home, rather than spraying it away with some artificial air freshener.
- Grow herbs in a sunny window: rosemary, basil, thyme, and sage. Let their scents fill the house.
- Keep lemons around for their appearance and lovely odor.
Clutter and Life
- A bowl of lemons looks lovely as a table centerpiece, much more so than several half-burned candles. Lemons are inexpensive, pleasing to look at, and have a lovely smell.
- Clear away unimportant things. Move all knick-knacks to a corner, then start putting back only those things that are dearest and most important. Pack the others. If they are still packed up three months later, then donate them to a charity, or a young relative just setting up house. Or have a garage sale if there is enough detritus cleared away and make a little cash. The point is that each room should have only those objects that mean something to those who spend time in that room.
- Homes, as Pasanella reminded, also should have living things so they do not become simply repositories for things. Plants, goldfish, cats, dogs, other pets, other people–all make a building or a space into a living, breathing home.
If a homeowner is trying hard to decorate, then the house is probably being overdone and will only end up looking generic without reflecting who the homeowner is. Buying and displaying what is personally valued, rather than basing decisions on what others will think, is the beginning of a beautiful home. Keeping things simple and fabulous for a special, personalized look is the finishing touch.
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